Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari

An interesting take on the MMO/Fantasy archetype.

From now on, I think I'll be focusing on bringing new or obscure manga into the limelight. I'm honestly not good enough at fictional analysis to be able to write reviews that are very in-depth or descriptive. I can't really compete with the super popular blogs in that area, so why bother? Instead, I'll stick with something that I can do better, since I tend to end up working on a lot of obscure manga. So, without further ado...

Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari is an interesting take on the MC-plays-a-lifelike-mmo archetype of fiction. Chapter 1 starts out very inconspicuously, but the story takes a BIG turn at chapter 2. I don't want to talk about it at length since the surprise is what makes it so great, but if you feel the urge to ruin it for yourself, light spoilers here:

The series turns dark, gritty, jaded, and pessimistic after a betrayal happens... The MC turns from your typical otaku into an anti-hero who cares nothing for the world around him and its impending doom. A far cry from your typical naive and idealistic MC. (Hello, Naruto Uzumaki.)

The art is very well done. It's very well drawn, and incredibly detailed. Also, it's so damn clean. Everything is well defined and clear, which is something I really wish a lot of manga would take into account. Rurouni Kenshin is one of my all time favorite manga, but some of the fight scenes are very confusing due to the art (which might be intentional sometimes, but oftentimes it isn't). There haven't been any crazy fight scenes yet, but everything so far has been very neatly drawn. I look forward to seeing any more crazy battles in the future.

Also, I think that this MC is very unique. You don't  often get to see MCs this determined and spiteful be this much of an ass most of the time, so it's a refreshing change for once. I look forward to seeing how this character develops.

I work on this series for Galactica Scans. When Teishou, our head admin, picked this series up, I was pretty skeptical at first since it seemed so generic, but I changed my opinion fairly quickly. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did.

That's all for now, I suppose. I'll try to update my blog more now that I'm done with my summer job. Thanks for the read!

What is Scanlation? Part 1: Introduction, Raws, and Raw Providers

As you probably know, one of the goals of this blog is to shed some light onto how scanlation works. Of course, there are plenty of guides and whatnot out there, but they don't really get across how significant or difficult some of these roles are. It's my hope that I can elucidate the working of scanlation and make it easier for you guys to understand how much effort it takes to get this stuff out.

What is Scanlation?

Scanlation is the amateur run industry of scanning, translating, and editing manga from one language to another. We basically take this:

And turn it into this:

In this segment, I'll be giving a general summary of how we go from the monthly magazines to the finished product that you all read. So, here goes.

The process begins with the Raw Provider. Usually, the Raw Provider is someone who lives in Japan, since they'll have the easiest access to the manga magazines published there. Occasionally, people overseas will order them, but for the most part these people go out to their local store and buy a magazine every month to take home and scan. These scans are called raws. There are many different publications and magazines specializing in certain types of manga. Some of the ones I can think of off the top of my head are Weekly Shounen Jump, Weekly Young Jump, and Monthly Shounen Jump. As for funding, usually groups use the donations they recieve to fund the raws, though sometimes group admins know the providers well enough to get it for free because they're going to read it anyways, providing raws for another group, etc. Most of the time, being a Raw Provider is less of something you apply for and more just being someone that the group admin knows. 

And that's all there really is to it. It's a pretty simple job.

Though some people, like a certain Yakkul, still manage to be awful at it somehow.

Manga Review: Shokugeki no Soma (Ongoing)

Hell's Kitchen, with just a hint of ecchi.

Part of my goal for writing these reviews is to give some lesser known manga more exposure. (It also helps that I'm in the groups that scan some of these series.) While this manga is neither vastly underrated nor unpopular by any means, it definitely doesn't have as much exposure as popular manga like Shingeki no Kyojin or Freezing. At first, the concept is a bit odd and you're confused at why the series has the tag "ecchi." But then you start reading it, and you realize that this is what you've been missing from your life, and that you're also really hungry all of a sudden. 

Also, mad props to the Redrawers of this series (currently the three man team of Kukukuiin, Dream, and Wilcoxii). Because the art is so intricate sometimes , redrawing for this series really damn hard.

Cast

Ridiculous, hilarious, and extremely lovable. All of the cast do an excellent job contributing to the mood and humor of the series, as well as coughing up their own unique dishes. Everybody in this series is a lot of fun and have a goofy and funny side to them, and each chef has a distinct style or quirk to their personality and cooking. They do an excellent job of complimenting the series' lighthearted tone and silly, over-the-top story.

Shokugeki no Soma gets a 8/10 for an excellent cast. All of the characters are enjoyable and fun while being distinct and memorable. The variety of cooking they all display along with their unique personalities make the series a pleasure to read.

Shokugeki no Soma is a cooking manga.

Plot

The plot of Shokugeki no Soma is exactly as it should be, a rich mix of hotblooded action and energy blended with over-the-top humor, and seasoned with just a pinch of ecchi. The story mainly focuses on the rise of Yukihara Souma through Tootsuki Academy, a school where elite chefs compete to become the best. Yukihara Souma is a kid raised cooking in a small shop. He has talent in the kitchen and a penchant for making unique and unusual dishes, in addition to a stubborn determination to surpass his father in cooking. Along the way he battles and befriends many new friends in the world of the culinary arts. A couple of things really stand out about this manga. One would be the unique dishes. The suspense and curiosity you feel as the characters are given something to cook enhances the experience. It's a lot of fun seeing the unique dishes coming out of this series. The only downside would be how constantly hungry you get reading it. In addition, the culinary battles themselves carry a lot of intensity and tension. For the students of Tootsuki Academy, cooking isn't just a method of making food, it's a way of communicating their feelings and willpower. To that end, each battle feels significant; the moment before the results is extremely emotionally charged, and we see how the characters put their heart and soul into their efforts. I honestly found myself more emotionally committed to some moments in this series than some other series that try to emulate this by making cheap "emotion porn". (Angel Beats, I'm looking at you).

Shokugeki no Soma gets a 9/10 for an exciting and emotional plot. The culinary battles manage to be extremely hotblooded and emotional while maintaining a more light-hearted and humorous tone.

Shokugeki no Soma is a cooking manga.

Art

The other thing that stands out for me about this series are the ridiculous reactions to food. Saeki Shun brings Shokugeki no Soma to life through his art. The level of detail is impeccable, from the gorgeously drawn food:

To the ridiculous portrayals of the characters' reactions to the tastes of the dishes they sample.

Shokugeki no Soma is a cooking manga.

All of the art has the utmost care and detail added to it, and it really shows. There really isn't much more I can say about it, you just need to see for yourself.

Shokugeki no Soma gets a 10/10 for absolutely gorgeous art that beautifully communicates the mood and atmosphere of the manga, in addition to being absolutely hilarious and gut-wrenching.

Overall Rating
Shokugeki no Soma is such a fantastic read. Go power through it if you haven't already; there are about 75 chapters out right now. The plot, cast, and characters all work together perfectly to create an incredibly entertaining story about the culinary arts.

Shokugeki no Soma gets a 9/10 for being an incredibly well done and fun work that excellently blends hotbloodedness, over-the-top humor, and cooking.

Shout out to my homies at Casanova Scans. I work on Shishunki no Iron Maiden for them, and their staff is outstanding. Shokugeki no Soma is among one of our best works, and everything is scanlated excellently. Come check out some of our other series if you end up liking Shokugeki no Soma.

Movie Review: Patema Inverted

It feels endearing and magical, if only just for brief yet distinct moments.

One of my all time favorite works is Eve no Jikan, by director Yasuhiro Yoshiura. When I heard that he would be releasing another work, I was definitely drawn in by his name. In addition, Patema's art director Yuuji Kaneko has done outstanding works on series like Kill La Kill and Madoka. Upon reading the synopsis and seeing the poster, you're struck by a feeling of wonder and grandeur, which is what I think this series absolutely nails. As you can guess from the poster, this series is about a boy and a girl who have oppositely oriented gravity. Patema uses this plot point as its gimmick. Moments centered around the art and score emphasizing the inverted gravity feel magical and wonderful, and the mood of a scene can turn on a dime. However, the rest of the film is weak in comparison, unfortunately, causing the movie as a whole to feel like a lower quality Miyazaki movie. Overall, it's a decent watch, but lacks the meaning and significance that other works like Eve No Jikan have. 

Cast

Utterly bland. While I didn't explicitly hate any of these characters for reasons I wasn't supposed to, they're just all so... Boring. I only remember the names of the two main characters, and barely at that. The two main characters have some characterization, but it feels rather... Shallow, as if they added some of their backstory for the sole reason of making you care for them. Part of it is that this movie as a whole feels a bit rushed... A bit more elaboration on Patema and Age's backstories would make them feel a lot more fleshed out. In addition, the villain is very weak. We get what he's doing, and his reasoning behind it, but we see nothing of his backstory and are left to guess at his motivation. His character is basically "I'm super evil! Watch me be evil as I fold my hands under my chin!". It's a stark contrast to Miyazaki, who makes his antagonists a lot more human, more believable, and most of all, more impactful. Patema's villain simply lacks depth.

Patema Inverted gets a 4.5/10 for a relatively unremarkable cast of characters. Patema's "story gimmick" helps to give the characters a bit more personality, but not much.

Please don't hate me, it's not my fault that I'm poorly written.

Plot

At first, Patema feels wonderful and magical. You're immediately put into a vibrant city underground. They do a good job of capturing the majesty and wonder you feel when seeing a unique setting for the first time, the best example of which I can think of being Miyazaki's Spirited Away. This continues as you meet the main characters, a strong adolescent female lead, and her friend, a curious and adventurous adolescent boy who meets the girl by chance. Then, through some exposition, the setting and its quirks are established, feeding your curiosity and establishing how magical and amazing everything is. This is a pretty solid formula for Miyazaki's works; his movies stick to a recipe we know that works, but the changing concepts and different ideals and themes that his works explore keep it fresh. Patema tries to follow this formula, but the story and characters aren't strong enough to support the uniqueness of the setting. It ends up feeling like a bit of a Miyazaki knockoff; it has all the magic, but none of the substance. The plot felt a bit predictable at times, and lacked significance to me. I got why it was supposed to be, but I had a hard time following that.

However, Patema still manages to make good use of its main point. The scenes involving differing gravity have a lot of emotional weight to them; you can easily put yourselves in the shoes of Patema and Age when they're being terrified of falling. In addition, the mood of a moment can change at the drop of a hat, and the transitions in the viewer's orientation contribute heavily aid this. It's these scenes that make Patema distinct; however, I still feel as if they could have utilized it better, and made the film a lot more memorable than it is. Also, it can be a little confusing at times. Go google a diagram after you've watched it if you're still confused; it's what I had to do to get everything cleared up. 

In addition to the strong emotional attachment it invokes, Patema also has some pretty good humor. It manages to avoid tropes that tend to be overused in most anime and manga; the humor is endearing, enjoyable, and isn't crude. It's also very well placed.

Oh. Also, the romantic subplot feels really rushed and unnecessary. I'll refrain from elaborating too much so that you can see it for yourself.

Patema gets a 6.5/10 for its plot. While it can be predictable and unmemorable at times, the distinct setting and enjoyable humor give it a big boost.

Art and Score

The art is by far the best part of Patema. The painted backgrounds are striking, beautiful, and majestic, and they make the setting come to life. The animation is well done, and has a lot of attention to detail. But I think the most striking part is how the animation team deals with the gravity. The art and score are absolutely what make this movie magical and memorable. They also make great use of color to distinguish between the different worlds and give a lot of attention to the sky, as it's part of the main theme of the story. I could go on and on about how amazing some of the key moments feel when watching this movie because of the score and art, but it's best that you watch it yourself.

Patema gets a 10/10 for art and score. The art has tremendous attention to detail and quality, while the score does a magnificent job at conveying emotion. 

Scenes like this are what make Patema worth watching.

Overall Rating

Despite its poor execution, Patema manages to feel magical and wonderful, even if it's only for brief and sparse moments. Yes, the plot is relatively weak and the characters are bland, but I would recommend this movie because of the art and score alone. Seriously. Go watch it.

Patema gets a 7/10 for gorgeous artwork, a magnificent soundtrack, and managing to strongly invoke emotions despite its unremarkable cast and iffy story.

Other Works

If you end up liking Patema, definitely go watch Eve no Jikan, which is one of my all time favorite works and it's what Yasuhiro Yoshiura is known for. It has a much stronger story, cast, and theme, while maintaining a fantastic art style.

Manga Review: Monster (Completed)

"Look at me. The monster inside me has grown this large."

After having this manga recommended to me by several friends, I recently picked up Naoki Urasawa's Monster, and I'm glad to say that I was completely blown away by it. Monster has one of the most vivid and memorable stories out there; the plot is gripping and the cast is distinct. Though Urasawa's method of storytelling can be confusing at times, Monster's thrilling story and well developed cast have proved it deserves the title of "masterpiece".

Cast
The cast of Monster is the main medium through which Urasawa tells his story. Though Monster is the story of Doctor Kenzo Tenma and the Monster he hunts, its scope is far beyond just these two people. All of the characters, whether a main character or a side character, feel human. They all have hopes, dreams, fears, desires, and motivations. While the story is about Tenma and Johan (and to some extent Nina) it is through the rest of the cast that we see the significance of their battle. Where Johan goes, he leaves a trail of despair and fear, whereas Tenma leaves hope and inspires perseverance. When Tenma meets these people on his journey, we get a glimpse into their stories, and through that we gain insights into Tenma and Johan through the ways they interact with these people. While I found it a bit of a stretch that so many people were connected to Tenma or Johan, it wasn't enough to significantly impact the story for me or break the immersion.

The main cast of Monster is definitely very notable. In particular, Johan is one of the most unique and compelling antagonists out there. Urasawa gracefully avoids all the tropes of a normal plotting type villain and crafts the true portrait of a monster. Johan is a truly terrifying villain; not for the deeds he commits, but rather for the lack of remorse he has at those deeds. Rather than a man who kills his fellows, he's more commonly described as treating people like a line of ants, and Johan takes joy in toying with their formation as he pleases. And yet, he's not so simple of a character. It would be far too easy to blame a single traumatic event for how Johan ends up. No, that would be far too simple. But through the tragic tale that Urasawa weaves, the reader is left in confusion as to who the real monsters are. Is it the people that cause Johan to become this way? Or was he already beyond the influence of tragic events, having been born a monster?

Monster gets a 10/10 for a wholly compelling and human cast. All of the characters are well developed and vivid, each with a specific purpose and role in telling the tale of Johan and Tenma, in addition to their own motivations and drives.

"The monster inside of me, wasn't inside of me. It was outside."

Plot
As stated earlier, the plot of Monster is the vessel through which Urasawa tells the story of Johan and Tenma. The plot moves slowly at first, but quickly picks up as the author introduces more characters and events. As he does, he answers questions through narration and flashbacks to the events of the past, and leaves even more questions behind afterwards. As a result, the manga as a whole feels like a puzzle. At first, you only have a general impression of the story and the meaning behind it. But as Urasawa slowly hands you piece after piece, the blurry outline you have of the events that shape Johan slowly become clearer and clearer, and the meaning behind the story slowly becomes more evident. Overall, the pacing of the story is masterfully done; despite its length, Monster manages to very rarely feel drawn out. There are still some extraneous scenes and arcs, but whether or not they harm the pacing of the story is up to you. On one hand, it assists character development and adds to the setting and backstory, but on the other hand it disrupts the pacing of the overall story. Personally, I thought they were effectively used to convey the gravity of the backstory and to further add to Tenma's character.

Urasawa's method of storytelling is also overwhelming at times; he never gives you the big picture, but rather lots of small glimpses and parts of a bigger story, as stated earlier. The plethora of places, people, and prior events can be confusing at times. However, the story uses all of these for good reason. In addition to conveying the scope of the story, the ambiguity puts the reader in Tenma's shoes. You get to feel the confusion he feels, the desperation and curiosity he experiences as he tries to put together the mystery of Johan's past.

Monster gets a 10/10 for a wholly outstanding plot told through a distinctive style of narration with excellent pacing and a gripping storyline.

"I woke up from the dream. There were so many visions I had of the end, but now, I'm picturing a different ending altogether. A clearer vision of the true ending. It's from a memory only I have; the real place where I must be."

Art
Nothing too special. It's good, but not amazing. But it's great how the designs of the characters change and age, along with showing their current state. It does its job effectively without hindering the reader's enjoyment.

Monster gets a 8.5/10 in art.

Accessibility
The main hurdle with Monster is the genre, in my opinion. Mystery mangas tend to be overly ambitious in setting up their plots and tend to end up in a mess. They also have a reputation for being incredibly dry at times. However, Monster doesn't fulfill these stereotypes at all. If the reader can get through the first few chapters, which is where the story is being initially set up, then they'll be in for a fantastic ride.

Monster gets a 4 in accessibility.

Overall Rating
Monster's intricately crafted story fulfills its reputation as a masterpiece. Overall, this manga is an incredible work, as it addresses the very core of the various characters it contains to take the reader on a ride with Dr. Kenzo Tenma to discover the truth about the Monster he seeks to slay, while the way Urasawa slowly reveals the mystery behind Johan Liebert and how all the pieces fit together to slowly reveal the big picture makes Monster a thrilling read.

The fantastic story and cast of Monster by itself, in my opinion, are enough to carry this manga to a 10/10.

Additional Works
Urasawa's other completed manga, 20th Century Boys, is also apparently very good. I'll definitely take a look at that since I loved Monster so much. 

There's also an anime adaptation of Monster; however, I'm told the medium makes it suffer slightly. Not enough to make me discourage you from watching it, but enough for me to recommend the manga over the anime.

Also, there are rumors of a Guillermo Del Toro adaptation of Monster for HBO. Keep an eye out for that.

u w0t m8?

Initial Impressions: Berserk (Ongoing)

Grimdark done right.

Warning: While my reviews will always be mostly SFW, the following manga is not. Berserk contains tons of blood and gore, along with nudity and rape. This manga is not for newcomers, unless you're already okay with this kind of stuff.

Imagine either the bastard child of Game of Thrones and Fullmetal Alchemist, or Dark Souls: the manga.That's the best general impression I can give you of Berserk. Guts is a child of war, a mercenary wandering from battle to battle. We can immediately tell from the start that he is extremely jaded. He shows little compassion for others and claims that weak people only get in his way, not caring that the innocent people around him tend to become collateral damage. The art and characters immediately give you the general mood of Berserk. Nothing is pure. The fights are presented as extremely gritty and violent. Idealism is mostly dead. Guts isn't the type of brave hero that risks his life to save others. More than once we see him watch others die without a shred of remorse. The characters in Berserk are definitely well written, even if some can be dislikable. Oftentimes, I find it difficult to take grimdark works seriously. Usually it's either so overdone that it's ridiculous and hard to take seriously, or it's just difficult to like the characters. However, the cast of Berserk is very... Unique... As a whole. The villains are gruesome and their atrocities often leave you with feelings of disgust. The protagonists are heroic and I often found myself feeling very involved in their battles. As a whole, the manga is very intense. Despite how long it is (I'm only 8 volumes in, and there are over 30 volumes out right now) it doesn't feel drawn out or super lengthy at all. I'm very impressed by this work, and I'm definitely going to continue reading it. 

This guy is at LEAST Kenshiro level badass.

Art: 7.5/10

Cast: 8/10

Plot: 9/10

Accessibility: 2

Update (5/15/14, Vol 18): A lot of works have moments where everything changes. The most distinct example for me would be that scene in Muv-Luv. You know the one. Moments like episode 8 of TTGL, episode 3 of Puella Magi Madoka Magica, episode 12 of Steins; Gate, episode 10 of Valvrave that come out of nowhere and leave you in shock. For Berserk, this one moment would be the eclipse. Of course, it's not exactly subtle, considering how absolutely pissed Guts is at Griffith and how shocking and intense this manga can be, but it still carried a huge impact. I won't say any more, but know that the eclipse is one of those moments. This manga is so damn good.

And if you needed another reason to read Berserk,
it has socialist prostitutes.

Update (5/17/14, Vol 37): Wow, I caught up with 37 volumes of manga in three days. Berserk's plot is extremely engrossing... The main characters are memorable and the group dynamic is enjoyable. Guts has developed from an asshole to a man we know has a long and painful history; a character who's dramatically improved as a person and become a lot more relatable. Farnesse's progression from fanatical witch hunter has been beautifully done. The fairies are perfect for comedic relief and lightening the tone of the story. The plot feels significant. Every arc is meaningful, a well written microcosm of the world the characters inhabit, full of meaning and depth. Berserk is a fantastic epic tale, one I'll happily follow to the end.

Manga Review: Beelzebub (Completed)

Infant demons and delinquents make for lots of fun.

Just a heads up, my reviews are generally spoiler free, for the most part. If they do contain spoilers, I'll be sure to note that in the title of the post. Anyways, I'll be starting off with one of the first works that got me into manga, Beelzebub, a manga written and illustrated by Ryuhei Tamura. The premise of this series is that it depicts the escapades of Oga Tatsumi, a high school delinquent who suddenly becomes the father of the demon lord Beelzebub. What follows is a story packed with action, manliness, and hilarity. While it definitely has some shortcomings, it's a great manga for someone looking to read more, and enjoyable despite its various flaws.

Cast

One of high points of Beelzebub is the cast. All of the characters, whether side or main, antagonist or protagonist, are well written and unique. The majority of the cast is serious when it's called for, and lovable and goofy when they need to be. From the perverted yet lovable Furuichi to the blockheaded Toujou, the cast is, simply put, a lot of fun. And at the same time, a lot of these characters have issues and/or convictions right beneath the amusing antics they constantly get into. Furuichi is generally known as the creeper and the comic relief, but right below it is an inferiority complex that Tamura touches on during his arc. It makes reading Beelzebub a pleasure throughout and is a well crafted medium through which Tamura conveys the both the humor of the series and the conviction of the characters. 

Beelzebub gets a 8/10 for a well written and enjoyable cast of characters.

She's demon, so technically this is legal, right?

Plot

Ah, the plot. Now, for the most part. it's your typical shounen manga. MC fights characters, makes friends and converts some enemies, trains to defeat problematic enemies and gets into various shenanigans, occasionally of the ecchi kind. It does its job in providing a story and setting for the characters. However, the main issue is that Beelzebub was suddenly cancelled . Not early enough that there's no conclusion, so at least you'll get some closure, but the ending was definitely noticeably rushed. It makes me a bit sad, because you could tell the author wanted to do more and unfortunately ran out of time. However, the main highlight would be the well written humor. The plot isn't really meant to be taken seriously, and Tamura knows this. The battles are ridiculous and silly, but that's what makes it enjoyable.

Beelzebub gets a 6/10 for the story, but don't let discourage you from reading it. Even without a strong plot, Beelzebub is an incredibly amusing read.

Not pictured: 10 straight chapters of powering up.

Art

While the general art style itself is nothing too special, Tamura really shines at conveying the mood of a scene, especially the more humorous ones. It's especially great since baby Beel will often mimic Oga's expressions while riding on his back.

Oga's reaction to Mahouka.

The mockingly gar scenes are also pretty hilarious.

He's been training to defeat Aizen at 100x gravity.

For the rest of the time, the art is decently good. The fight scenes are decent enough when not being humorous. However, the humorous scenes definitely give a massive boost to the likability.

Beelzebub gets a 8/10 in art. Despite the fact that most of the art is nothing extraordinary, the comedic scenes really stand out and make this series really amusing.

Accessibility

Now, this is a bit of a unique category. I'll be rating works on a scale of 1 to 5 based on how accessible they are to new readers, 5 being great for newer readers, and 1 being a very niche type of work. I ignore this category for the overall rating, because it's a bit more of a guide for what type of works to start with first.

Beelzebub gets a 5 for accessibility. It's a very fun and casual read throughout, and does a good job of introducing the tropes of anime and manga to new readers. Also, plenty of great fanservice.

Following his defeat at the hands of an infant demon lord,
the monster fell into a downward spiral of depression, drugs, and alcohol.

Overall Rating

For the overall rating, I'll usually average the other categories(ignoring accessibility, of course). However, if I feel a manga goes beyond the sum of its parts, I'll bump up its score. In this case, I've chosen to round out Beelzebub to an 8/10. It's definitely enjoyable enough for me to recommend. The hilarious art and lovable cast definitely make up for the stereotypical shounen plot and sadly abrupt ending. Plus, it wasn't exactly by choice, so don't let that discourage you from reading any other of Tamura's works. If I had to choose a word to describe this manga, it would have to be fun. It's one of those works you savor to enjoy the atmosphere and the dynamics of the characters.  Beelzebub is an incredibly enjoyable read throughout, and it remains one of my favorite works to this day.

Additional Works

I haven't explored any of Tamura's other works yet, but I definitely plan to. As for more Beelzebub stuff, there's a couple of one-shots in translation. As of the date this article was written, Red Hawk Scans has released one chapter of the one-shots. That, and any future releases can be found here. Also, there's an anime adaptation, but the general consensus is that it isn't worth watching. I haven't given it a shot yet, and I don't really plan to, but feel free to watch it and give me your opinions on it in the comments.

Also, if you liked my article, I'd really appreciate it if you'd share it.